Memory spec terms
If you're not sure if a module is right for your system, use the Crucial Memory Advisor tool for a list of guaranteed compatible modules.

NON-ECC/Non-parity Most desktop and laptop computers take NON-ECC or Non-parity memory.

ECC/Parity ECC or parity modules look for errors in data and are most often found in servers and other mission-critical applications used by large networks and businesses.

Unbuffered Most PCs and workstations use unbuffered memory which is faster than registered memory.

Registered/Buffered Registered or buffered modules delay all information transferred to the module by one clock cycle. This type of memory is primarily used in servers.

Fully buffered Designed for next-generation servers, features an advanced memory buffer.

CL CAS (column address strobe) latency, which is the number of clock cycles it takes before data starts to flow after a command is received. Lower CL is faster. Modules with different CL can be mixed on a system, but the system will only run at the highest (slowest) CL.

204-pin SODIMM for Mac

In short, 204-pin small outline dual inline memory modules (SODIMMs) are the form factor used to provide DDR3 memory modules for notebook computers and other small form factor computing platforms.

To use DDR3 memory, your system must have both a 204-pin SODIMM slot and a chipset that supports DDR3 memory. A DDR3 SODIMM will not fit into DDR2 or DDR memory sockets.

SODIMMs are smaller and thinner than regular DIMMs, and the 204-pin SODIMM PCBs are always ~2.6 inches long and are usually around 1.18 inches high (though the heights can vary slightly). They consist of a number of memory components (usually black) that are attached to a printed circuit board (usually green). The number of memory components on a 204-pin SODIMM's printed circuit board (PCB) can vary, but the PCB will always have 102 pins on the front and the back both, for a total of 204 pins. The gold pins on the bottom of the SODIMM provide the connection between the memory module and the memory socket.

My MacBook Pro 13 (late 2011) only had 4GB of RAM and was constantly maxing out on RAM usage. You could see this by the amount of Page-Outs showing under system memory in...Read complete review

My MacBook Pro 13 (late 2011) only had 4GB of RAM and was constantly maxing out on RAM usage. You could see this by the amount of Page-Outs showing under system memory in Activity Monitor compared to the amount of Page-Ins (ie RAM space the system was having to free up to run). I use several RAM hungry apps at the same time which caused major speed issues and was constantly seeing the little spinning dial. After this upgrade it was easy to see that around 4GB of RAM was in use pretty much all the time. With having such a large upgrade, there were no more issues with the system having to free up RAM and the speed with which I can switch between things seems to have risen exponentially. Particularly when using MS Office apps alongside Skype and Safari, I now have no issues whereas before I would wait an age for things to open.

16GB might seem like overkill but for the price, why not! Next step will be a SSD drive I think to speed things up even more.

VS

Most Liked Negative Review

Nothing but problems since installing

I've had constant problems since installing this RAM - three beep crashes, sudden restarts, and hard crashes every other day. I was suspicious when ordering, since the mac specs say the max RAM...Read complete review

I've had constant problems since installing this RAM - three beep crashes, sudden restarts, and hard crashes every other day. I was suspicious when ordering, since the mac specs say the max RAM for this machine is 8 GB. However Crucial site reassured me that it was OK to install 16 GB. Don't know whether a) I have not installed the RAM correctly (although all the RAM is being recognised and used fine when the computer is not crashing), b) have faulty RAM modules, or c) the computer really is not designed for 16 GB (in which case I was mis sold by Crucial.

When the computer is not crashing it runs like a dream with the new RAM, but the random hard crashes every day or two are really starting to annoy me and leading to loss of work.

I bought this product to upgrade my late 2011 MacBook Pro from the factory 4gig, although Apple only say 8gig max in their literature, Crucial say yes, so I plumbed for it.It was easy to fit using the online instructions and worked straight away. Not only that when you go to "About this Mac" it even tells you there is 16gig fitted.

The first memory modules that I received were faulty or incompatible. Either 8GB module in slot 0 caused the Mac not to start up (repeating 3 beeps). Strangely, either in slot 1 with one of the 4GB (also from Crucial 2 yrs ago) worked fine.

Crucial replaced without fuss and a week later the new 8GB modules were in and the Mac is flying. I stuck an SSD in there as well and have extended its life by a few years I think.

So ... contrary to the Apple support pages, you can fit 16GB in a mid 2011 Mac Mini - as confirmed by the crucial scanner.

I had a problem with my five year old Macbook Pro where applications would crash for no reason. I changed the hard drive to an SSD drive thinking that would solve the problem but applications still crashed so finally worked out it must be the RAM (lots of KERNEL errors in the crash reports).

Have never switched RAM before but was a very simple process. Amazed at the difference in speed for my Macbook with the new RAM, particularly in combination with a new SSD drive. Certain graphics heavy applications open up and save in lightning speed with the new RAM. Great to know there's a lifetime guarantee on Crucial's RAM and so far (it's only been installed for two weeks), so good - in fact, so super-fast. Highly recommend.

Whilst Apple don't list 16GB (2x8GB) of RAM as being an option for a late 2011 Macbook Pro, it was good to read on Crucial's website that Crucial recommend it - they do work and have improved speed and reliability.